Well, it wasn’t perfect, and the Sacramento Kings certainly have a long way to go as they continue their rebuild, but it was NBA basketball! The Kings fell big to the Los Angeles Lakers 127-103, but we got our first glimpse at the new rotations and, more importantly, Darius Acuff Jr. debut.
Here are three main takeaways from the first look at the Kings 2026-27 roster.
Darius Acuff Jr. Is Here
It didn’t take Darius Acuff Jr. long to show why he was tauted as one of the best offensive players in a stacked NBA draft. The seventh overall pick finished with 19 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, a steal, and a block in just over 27 minutes of action.
The majority of his damage came in the first half, where he made all eight of his field goals, but that could also be because the starting unit was out there in just the first half.
Specifically, we got a look at the duo of Acuff and Domantas Sabonis. With the up-and-down year last season, it’s easy to forget just how good Sabonis is, especially at setting screens. Acuff is going to feast this season on great looks, and tonight was a first look at how the two can get a two-man game going on the regular.
More of the Same From Three
One of the quickest ways the Kings can improve their offense, which many forget, was the fifth worst in the league last season, is by taking and making more threes. But unfortunately for Sacramento, it was more of the same tonight against the Lakers. The Kings shot just 4-of-23 (17.4%) compared to 20-of-44 (45.5%) for Los Angeles.
The Kings made the fewest three in the league last season at 10.3 per game, the fewest in the league. That, combined with giving up 13.8 made threes per contest, 11th most, consistently put them behind pace from beyond the arc.
Ideally, playing the starters more and getting Keegan Murray into the mix should help up the three-point volume as well. But the starters combined to go just 1-of-5 from beyond the arc, with Acuff making the one and taking four of the five. The last one was from Sabonis, as Zach LaVine uncharacteristically took no looks from deep.
It’s just one game with odd rotations, but it’s something huge to keep an eye on as the regular season inches closer.
On the Outside Looking In
Much of the talk about the Kings this season is going to center on rotations, and tonight was the first look at how the coaching staff is approaching the season. Nothing was a huge surprise, as the starting five was the projected four of Acuff, LaVine, De’Andre Hunter, and Sabonis, with Precious Achiuwa filling in for Murray.
And it was Emanuel Sharp, Daeqwon Plowden, Maxime Raynaud, Dylan Cardwell, and Nique Clifford as the next five off the bench. That left fellow rookie Alex Karaban on the outside looking in. Normally, that’s not a surprise, as Karaban was a late first-round pick, not a highly touted lottery pick that should be expected to instantly earn minutes. But he is one of the young players who stands to benefit most from as many minutes as possible.
Karaban did make it onto the court in the second half, and finished with 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in just over 16 minutes. The numbers don’t jump off the page, but Karaban showed exactly why Scott Perry went out and traded for him on draft night.
He was in the right spots, made the right plays, and used his high basketball IQ to make up for his lack of athleticism. Karaban’s trajectory and spot in the rotation should be another big storyline to watch this year.
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